No Second Guesses
by XB16B2
Summary: Slightly AU  Lucius Malfoy is always in control, doing what's best for the Malfoy line. Throughout the ten years following the Dark Lord's downfall, he doesn't second guess his decisions. But what if the strings to this puppet show aren't in his grasp?
1. Chapter 1

Narcissa had always been frail – not necessary physically, but it didn't come as a surprise to anyone who knew the family when she went just a bit mad after the birth of her first son. Draco wasn't a particularly vivacious baby either; in his own way, Lucius cared about both his wife and son, so he hired a young Healer, just out of university and clearly with no sense of her own value, to care for both Narcissa and Draco.

Lucius didn't pace back and forth in front of the fireplace each night in worry over his nascent family. There was too much else going on and he was not a worrying man. Obsequious and manipulative, yes, but he didn't obsess over the things that had been dealt with. By hiring the Healer to care for the sickly pair, he had done what he could. What left was to uphold the family image and continue to serve the Dark Lord, secretly coveting His power while grovelling at His feet in the hopes of some miniscule demonstration of favour.

When the Dark Lord disappeared, bested by a boy no older than Lucius's own son, triumph spread throughout the Wizarding world. But for the Dark Lord's followers, there was no triumph and there was no celebration. There was bitterness on behalf of some and sorrow on the parts of others, but the overwhelming reaction to the Dark Lord's disappearance (it wasn't death – it couldn't be death, for power could not die) from His followers was a dramatic, cut-throat scramble for pardon. Although Lucius played his own cards right, it required sacrifices. He was willing to protect his own . He gained nothing from their destruction and Lucius Malfoy was not one to play his cards for no reason.

It was not to his advantage that Bellatrix, Narcissa's sister, would not hide her devotion to the Dark Lord, but it was not unexpected that she refused to decry His teachings in front of the ridiculous Court the weak-spined Ministry created to try suspected Death Eaters. Her subsequent imprisonment in Azkaban with her husband, equally fanatic, was only to be expected after that kind of a performance. The Ministry wanted blood, wanted to seem as though the sudden turn of battle in their favour had been due to something other than a cosmic error and a distressingly fortunate infant. And so they sent His most fanatic supporters to Azkaban.

They could not have ferreted out the rest.

When Lucius awoke the morning after Bellatrix's unfortunate sentencing, he expected the atmosphere of the house to be sombre; it had been a close hit to home.

He did not expect to find Narcissa's crumpled body at the base of the Manor, clear evidence of a desperate suicide.


	2. Chapter 2

The tinkling laugh of society ladies emanated through the halls of the Malfoy Manor. Lucius himself was engaged in his usual slew of business meetings; the laughter of the ladies on the floor below occasionally permeating the door separating himself from the rest of the Manor. His business contacts, flowing in and out, frequently brought their wives and children to socialise downstairs. It was a Saturday afternoon, after all, and social callers drew much less suspicion than those without clear social intent.

Lucius was an astute man and knew that there was no question that the Manor had been watched since the fall of his Master four years previously. This did not prevent him from working for the Dark Lord's return, of course. As a loyal and ambitious servant, the white-blonde man was fully aware that those of his Master's disciples who were instrumental in His return would be rewarded accordingly. He made sure that those whom he trusted with his plans knew this as well; Lucius was a cautious man and a patient one, which suited his ambition well. Although his plans would not come to fruition for years, that did not mean Lucius was not preparing them and it did not mean that he was not a busy man.

Of course, in addition to his – extracurricular – plans, Lucius was responsible for upholding the family fortune through a number of select and occasionally illegal investments. Borgin & Burkes was one of the less savoury investments that Lucius had made in the years since the Dark Lord's disappearance and it was with Burkes that the wealthy man was meeting now. Lucius himself had a strong distaste for Burkes. Oily men were never among those that Lucius trusted. He appreciated his fair share of obsequious underlings, but a Malfoy never trusted a wizard quite as oily as Burkes without his fair share of leverage.

Which Lucius had acquired shortly after officially closing the investment deal with the two men. The black market was a good investment, but a better investment was the one that promised that Burkes's tongue would remain still should he be caught. Lucius would not be incriminated for his minor dealings.

The blotted, nervous signature on parchment concluded the meeting as Burkes shakingly capped the inkwell and tucked the still-wet quill into the pocket of his dress robes. Lucius smiled and smoothly rose, his own bottle-green dress robes fitting his fit form in such a way as to somehow imbibe him with even more authority. He pushed back the throne-like chair that he had been seated in and walked to the front of his mahogany desk in order to accompany Burkes out.

Nervously chattering, the unpleasant man proceeded to give Lucius a headache during the brief walk between his study and the company parlour. The parlour itself was awash with the friendly chatter of women and the raucous yells of their toddlers. Lucius himself had developed something frighteningly close to fondness for his own son, but the man still couldn't bring himself to do anything more than tolerate the similarly-aged children of his business associates.

Seeing Burkes just outside the parlour, his wife began to gather up the items her daughter had strewn about, chatting with the other ladies as she did. Once the little girl had been cleaned up after, her mother scooped the child up in one arm, greeted Lucius and her husband cordially as though they'd just arrived, and smiled at her hostess.

"Thank you _so_ for having us, Narcissa," she beamed at the woman with the white-blonde boy in her lap. "We really must chat again sometime."

The Burkes left none too soon and Lucius returned to his study, awaiting his next meeting.


End file.
